A leader in the SCoP faces obstacles in obtaining a passport in Qatar
Shareif Mohamed Osman, the Political Secretary of the Sudanese Congress Party (SCoP), revealed that authorities informed him that he cannot obtain a passport due to an imposed ban, despite having completed the application process since (August 2024).
Osman explained in a post on his Facebook page that he had previously completed the passport application process at the Sudanese Embassy in Qatar and paid the required fees. He received a notification that the passport would be ready within (45 days).
He added that he -naturally- followed up on his application through the Ministry of Interior’s passport website, however, he was surprised to learn that the passport wasn’t available on the specified date. He later discovered that there was a ban involving his name in the passport printing department.
Osman indicated that the Minister of Interior had previously issued a decision to lift the ban on all Sudanese citizens, based on the directives of the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Unfortunately, according to Osman, “It seems that there is a party in Port Sudan that prevails over the decisions of the Commanders of the Armed Forces and the Minister of Interior.”
Authorities in Port Sudan filed legal complaints against a large number of politicians, activists, and journalists, going as far as to issue arrest warrants for some, and prevent a significant number from obtaining passports.
Last February, the Army Commander-in-Chief, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan announced the cancellation of passport ban lists issued against individuals with arrest warrants. However, the Director of the Passports and Immigration Department, Osman Mohamed Al-Hassan Dinkawi, explained that implementing the latter decision requires legal amendments.
These developments raise questions regarding travel procedures for Sudanese citizens, especially given the ongoing legal and administrative restrictions on obtaining official documents, reflecting the ongoing political and security challenges in the country.
